Journal of Forensic Science. 2002, 47(6):1-2. The Philippine archipelago, composed of 7,100 islands and more than 70 ethno-linguisric groups, is divided into 15 regions on the basis of geographical, cultural, and political variations. Each region is classified under three major island groups: Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. The present study reports population data at eight short tandem repeat (STR) loci namely HUMvWA, HUMCSF1P0, HUMTH01, HUMTPOX, HUMF13A01, HUMFES/FPS, HUMDHFRP2 and D8S306 for the Visayas region that was found to be non-homogenous with previously published population data of the National Capital Region..

Allele frequencies of eight Short Tandem Repeat Loci in three Visayas Regional Populations of the Philippines